National Paranormal Society NPS FOCUS June 2016 - Page 27

The definition of cryptozoology according to Merriam-Webster is “the study of and search for animals and especially legendary animals usually in order to evaluate the possibility of their existence.”

For 90% of us the words cryptozoology and cryptid make us immediately think of Bigfoot and the Loch Ness monster. Cryptozoologists bring to mind images of people running around in the woods or in boats on lakes with cameras, recorders and thermal imagers jumping at every sound, shadow or lake surface disturbance and pointing it out as proof of the existence of these legendary monsters. Unfortunately, television has a lot to do with these misconceptions.

There is a lot more to cryptozoology than just Bigfoot and Nessie. Through the work of dedicated researchers many animals considered to be cryptids have now been identified as actual previously unknown species. An example is the Okapi which started out as African folklore but through the efforts of Sir Harry

field, there are a few respected organizations and several respected cryptozoologists who have made great strides in the field of cryptozoology.

The first organization to come to mind as most influential is the International Society of Cryptozoology (ISC). The ISC was founded in 1982 by Bernard Heuvelmans, Roy Mackal and J. Richard Greenwell as a scholarly center for documenting and evaluating evidence of unverified animals. Due to financial troubles, the organization ceased to exist

in 1998.

Johnston was discovered and is now accepted as an actual mammal.

The truth is that although cryptozoology is still considered a “fringe” or “pseudo” science there are many credible, dedicated researchers working diligently to change that and move it out of the realm of “fringe” into mainstream science.

Although at this time there are no widely accepted and accredited degrees in the